The Intermediate Flounder (Asterorhombus intermedius) is a flatfish with both eyes positioned on the left side of its head. Its body features a pattern of grey spots with black dots and dark edges, providing effective camouflage. A distinctive anatomical detail is a nearly continuous bony ridge extending from the front of the lower eye to the back of the upper eye. The interorbital space is narrow, always wider than the diameter of its largest eye. The species lacks dorsal and anal spines, possessing 77 to 84 dorsal soft rays and 55 to 62 anal soft rays. This diurnal flatfish reaches a maximum length of 20 cm (8 inches) and preys on benthic invertebrates. It inhabits sandy and muddy bottoms in protected bays and lagoons at depths ranging from 1 to 96 meters (3 to 315 feet). An Indo-Pacific species, A. intermedius is found from the 🌊 Red Sea to 🇹🇴 Tonga, and north to southern 🇯🇵 Japan and south to the Indo-Australian Archipelago. The genus name Asterorhombus derives from the Greek 'aster' (star) and 'rhombos' (parallelogram), reflecting its shape and general appearance.
The genus. Asterorhombus Tanaka 1915 - aster (star). ETYFish
The species. Asterorhombus intermedius (Bleeker 1865) - intermediate. ETYFish
- grey spots with black dots and dark edges
- bony ridge from lower eye to upper eye
- narrow interorbital space wider than largest eye
Why it's threatened
Threat classification from the IUCN Red List.
